Prince Harry admits ‘struggles’ after son Archie’s birth: ‘Certainly I felt a disconnection’

Prince Harry has lifted the lid on his early days as a dad, revealing the emotional hurdles he faced when son Archie arrived.

Speaking frankly, the Duke of Sussex admitted he had to confront his past before stepping into fatherhood for the first time.

The 41-year-old royal welcomed Archie, now six, with wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in May 2019.

During a fresh appearance on his Australia tour with Meghan, Harry said he felt it was vital to “cleanse myself of the past” before raising children.

The Duke of Sussex has opened up about fatherhood in a new appearance (Credit: JOEL CARRETT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Prince Harry gives new talk in Australia

Harry was speaking on stage at a Movember event in Melbourne focused on fatherhood. He and Meghan are currently in the middle of a four-day visit to Australia.

Opening up about his mindset before becoming a parent, he said therapy played a key role in helping him prepare.

He said: “Certainly from a therapy standpoint, you want to be the best version of yourself for your kids.

“And I knew that I had stuff from the past that I needed to deal with, and therefore prepare myself to basically cleanse myself of the past.

Certainly I felt a disconnection because my wife was the one creating life.

“Conversations that are now happening in households between kids and parents that never existed between me and my parents.”

He went on to explain how his outlook on parenting differs from what he experienced growing up.

Harry explained: “From my perspective, our kids are our upgrade. That’s not how I was taught but that was my take on it. Not to say I was an upgrade of my dad or that my kids are an upgrade of me.

“That’s the approach that I take, to know that with the world the way that it goes, the kids that we bring up in today’s world need to be an upgrade.”

Meghan and Harry welcomed Archie in May 2019 (Credit: Photo by Domic Lipinski/PA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

‘Certainly I felt a disconnection’

Harry also stressed there is no “judgment” when it comes to how people raise their children.

He said: “There’s no blame, there’s no pointing the finger. However you are parenting, that is a personal experience to you, you are going to want to improve on that.”

Reflecting on the early days after Archie’s birth, the duke admitted he struggled with feelings of distance.

He admitted: “Certainly I felt a disconnection because my wife was the one creating life. And I was there to witness it.

“I think for many guys, you try to think about what service can I provide at this point, because my work here is done to some extent.”

Meghan and Harry are currently in Australia (Credit: Media-Mode)

Prince Harry’s ‘struggle’ with Archie when he was a baby

Harry also shared the advice that helped him through those early moments as a new dad: “I think the biggest tip that I was given, actually, from my therapist in the UK, was just be aware of how you feel once the baby is born.”

He then recalled a telling moment from Archie’s infancy.

Read more: Meghan Markle shares Easter family video of Archie and Lilibet as fans gush

The duke added: “Every single time I went to work and I came back, if I was stressed, the moment that I held Archie, he would start crying.”

He finished by describing just how significant the role of a father can be: “Fatherhood is the most important and sort of transformational role that a guy can ever, can ever move into.”

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